Introducing: The StatMan Contender Index

I would like to introduce a new metric in trying to predict which Major League Baseball team will make the playoffs during a baseball season. It is a quick look on a team's postseason chances and reduces it to a number. You can use the actual number or turn it into a percentage by multiplying the number by 100.  It is called the StatMan Contender Index (SCI) and takes the following information into account:

* Strength of remaining schedule, determined by the winning percentage of a team's opposition

* Magic numbers and elimination numbers for the division and Wild Card

* Games remaining for the regular season

The percentages between all contenders do not add up to 100%.  It may also seem that a team which is "out of the race" still seems to have a significant chance of qualifying for the playoffs.  In these cases, it is best to evaluate  a poor team's SCI with the SCI of its main competition for the division or the Wild Card.

We hope you enjoy this metric. Over time, if we can, we will look to refine it and add a little more complexity to improve its accuracy.

My Two Cents: The Nassau Coliseum Referendum

We are starting a new feature on the Random Musings blog: My Two Cents. This feature will be a series of blog posts that will serve as quick reactions to topical sports news. The blog posts will be quick bursts of thought of under 500 words, meant to give you my opinion quickly instead of waiting for the next Sports With The StatMan show. Sometimes, it will be a reaction to a sports column or a reaction to something that happens on or off the field. I hope you enjoy it and feel free to leave a comment after this post to let me know what you think.

The Story: The Nassau Coliseum Referendum

On August 1st, voters in Nassau County went to the polls to determine if the County can borrow up to $400 million, $350 million of which would be dedicated to a new arena right next to the current Nassau Coliseum. If the vote passes, the Nassau County legislature approves the vote with a supermajority, and if the Nassau Interim Finance Authority (NIFA) approves the deal, the new arena would keep the Islanders in Nassau County for the next 30 years.

According to the Nassau County Board of Elections website tonight, the referendum was voted down by a 57%-43% margin.

My Two Cents:
In a word: disgraceful. If this was a hockey game, the Nassau County politicians would be up by so many goals on Charles Wang and the Islanders, that sumo wrestler Wang thought of signing would be tending goal. Wang was the convenient pawn in the political game between the likes of Kate Murray, Ed Mangano, and Jay Jacobs. He was played by both sides when the Lighthouse Project and this current option was shot down, though this one was shot down a little more democratically.  Either way, the Islanders, the citizens of Nassau County, and the progress of the County all lost.

If Wang tries to make things work in Nassau County ever again, he deserves to get played again. Now is the time to make a deal to keep the team in the New York area and leave Nassau County behind. Nassau County used to be progressive. The county used to be a beacon for suburban life. Now, it is woefully behind the times, as its aging population will eventually turn the county into a 453-square mile nursing home.

So, my advice to Wang: peddle the Islanders to Queens, Brooklyn, or Suffolk County and get the best deal you can. You have lost enough money. Nassau County has given you too many gray hairs. You can still keep them in the area, but take them out of Nassau County. Nassau County does not deserve a major-league franchise. The politics have sent the Islanders to the brink in Nassau and the voters just pushed them over the edge. But, that does not mean the Isles are destined for Quebec City, Kansas City, or Hamilton.

Queens has the infrastructure, there is an arena being built for the Nets in Brooklyn, and Suffolk County is now home to many Islander supporters who used to live in Nassau County before they were fed up.  Any one of these choices are better than Nassau County. The county never sprung for improvements of their building. The county never installed a rail line. The county never really loved you back, so why bother trying to stay in a place that clearly does not want you?

Sports With The StatMan - Show Notes #164-166 - July 18-23, 2011

Here are the show notes for this week of shows on Sports With The StatMan. There are audio links to the shows or, if the show is in the future, there is a link to the show preview.  If you have comments or questions on the episodes, feel free to leave a comment below.

Show #164 - July 18, 2011 - Baseball Talk - MLB Week 16 (AUDIO)

• Open: Back to the Second Half of the baseball season
• 1:15: A look at the current standings
• 4:15: Are the Mets contenders?/Phillies-Mets series
• 8:00: Big injuries for the local teams
• 20:45: All-Star Game Recap/Derek Jeter controversy
• 27:45: Jeter's 3,000th hit
• 30:00: Upcoming episodes
• 33:00: Red Sox-Orioles altercation
• 36:15: Upcoming local schedules
• 39:45: Mets try to stay afloat as Reyes and Wright return
• 42:00: Around the League: Thome and the Twins
• 42:45: Upcoming episodes/How to Find the Show/Close

Show #165 - July 20, 2011 - Baseball Talk - Trade Deadline Preview (SHOW PREVIEW)

Show #166 – July 23, 2011 - Fantasy Weekend - MLB Week 16 (SHOW PREVIEW)

SHOW INFORMATION

·          Show Page - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/The-StatMan

·          iTunes - Search "Sports With The StatMan"

·          Follow the show on Twitter - http://twitter.com/gstatman

·          Random Musings blog - http://gstatman.blogspot.com

·          Sports With The StatMan: Extra - http://www.cinchcast.com/gstatman

NEXT SHOWS

Here is what is going on next week on Sports With The StatMan:

Upcoming episodes:

• Sports With The StatMan #167: Monday night, July 25th, 2011 at 11pm ET
• MLB: Week 17
• Sports With The StatMan #168: Wednesday night, July 27th, 2011 at 11pm ET
• NFL: Where We Left Off/Free Agent Frenzy
• Sports With The StatMan #169: Saturday morning, July 30th, 2011 at 11am ET
• MLB: Fantasy Weekend Week 17

All of that and more on Sports With The StatMan next week.  For the latest show schedules, log on to the show page at www.blogtalkradio.com/The-StatMan and follow the show on Twitter (twitter.com/gstatman).

Fantasy Weekend - MLB Week 14

Although the weekend was last weekend, the All-Star Break lasts until Thursday night, so this gives fantasy owners an extra three days to survey the baseball landscape and take a deep breath before the final quarter of the 20-week fantasy baseball regular season.  Since we did not have a Fantasy Weekend show this past weekend, here is the blog for the games of July 2-10:

(Legend: O/S: Owned and started in CBSSports.com fantasy leagues, SB/O: stolen bases/opportunities, hitter "slash" numbers: batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage, pitcher "slash" numbers: earned run average/walks+hits per inning pitched)

WEEKLY BEST
HITTERS
1. CF Jacoby Ellsbury BOS - 55
2. LF Jose Bautista TOR - 50
3. 2B Dustin Pedroia BOS - 49

PITCHERS
1. SP CC Sabathia NYY - 78
2. SP Dan Haren LAA - 77
3. SP Jered Weaver LAA - 64

LOCAL LEADERS
HITTERS
1. CF Jacoby Ellsbury BOS - .447/.512/.816, 17-38, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 7 R, 4 2B, 2 3B, 5 BB, 3 K, 3/3 SB/O (55 pts)
Season: .316/.377/.490, 11 HR, 49 RBI, 62 R, 26 2B, 28/38 SB/O, 302 pts
2. 2B Dustin Pedroia BOS - .378/.452/.784, 14-37, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 12 R, 3 2B, 5 BB, 4 K (49 pts)
Season: .284/.395/.442, 11 HR, 44 RBI, 59 R, 19 2B, 16/19 SB/O, 289 pts
3. 1B Kevin Youkilis BOS - .452/.500/.807, 14-31, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R, 5 2B, BB, 4 K (38 pts)
Season: .285/.399/.512, 13 HR, 63 RBI, 52 R, 26 2B, 49 BB, 68 K, 249 pts

PITCHERS
1. SP CC Sabathia NYY - 2-0, 2 QS, CG, ShO, 0.00/0.75, 16 IP, 9 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 20 K (78 pts)
Season: 13-4, 2.72/1.16, 145.2 IP, 134 H, 35 BB, 126 K, 350 pts
2. SP Cole Hamels PHL - 2-0, 2 QS, 1.69/0.88, 16 IP, 11 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 11 K (52 pts)
Season: 11-4, 2.32/0.93, 132 IP, 99 H, 24 BB, 121 K, 378 pts
3. SP Roy Halladay PHL - 1-0, 2 QS, CG, 2.81/0.94, 16 IP, 14 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 15 K (46 pts)
Season: 11-3, 2.45/1.02, 143.1 IP, 129 H, 17 BB, 138 K, 406 pts

LINES OF THE WEEK
HITTERS
1. LF Melky Cabrera KCY - 4-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R, 1 2B, 1 HP (21 pts) (7/3 at COL)
2. SS Hanley Ramirez FLA - 3-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R (16 pts) (7/2 at TEX)
3. CF Torii Hunter LAA - 3-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R, 1 K (15 pts) (7/9 vs SEA)

PITCHERS
1. SP Dan Haren LAA - 2-hit CG ShO W, 0 BB, 9 K (48 pts) (7/5 vs DET)
2. SP CC Sabathia NYY - 4-hit CG ShO W, 1 BB, 9 K (45 pts) (7/10 vs TBY)
3. SP Derek Holland TEX - 4-hit CG ShO W, 2 BB, 7 K (42 pts) (7/7 vs OAK)

STOCK UP
HITTERS
1. OF Nate Schierholtz SFO - O/S: 8/6, .293/.343/.464, 7 HR, 31 RBI, 30 R, 5 SB, 148 pts
last 13 GP: .431/.482/.667, 22-51, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 9 R, 3 2B, 5 BB, 6 K, 53 pts
2. 3B Emilio Bonifacio FLA - O/S: 36/30, .285/.356/.382, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 37 R, 16/20 SB/O, 145 pts
last 11 GP: .429/.510/.500, 18-42, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 12 R, 3 2B, 11/12 SB/O, 55 pts
3. 1B Freddie Freeman ATL - O/S: 82/61 (+18/+19 f/LW), .274/.347/.459, 13 HR, 43 RBI, 39 R, 171 pts
last 8 GP: .345/.441/.793, 10-29, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 5 R, 2 2B, 5 BB, 6 K, 36 pts

PITCHERS
1. SP Jeff Karstens PIT - O/S: 50/27, 7-4, 2.55/1.07, 98.2 IP, 88 H, 18 BB, 58 K, 210 pts
last 7 GS: 4-0, 1.49/0.85, 7 QS, 48.1 IP, 34 H, 8 ER, 7 BB, 18 K, 137 pts
2. SP Justin Masterson CLE - O/S: 91/59 (+4/+18 f/LW), 7-6, 2.64/1.22, 122.2 IP, 111 H, 39 BB, 87 K, 245 pts
last 6 GS: 2-2, 1.50/1.07, 5 QS, 42 IP, 34 H, 7 ER, 11 BB, 28 K, 104 pts
3. SP Brian Duensing MIN - O/S: 36/25, 6-7, 4.13/1.42, 102.1 IP, 109 H, 36 BB, 70 K, 128 pts
last 5 GS: 3-1, 2.41/1.19, 4 QS, 33.2 IP, 28 H, 9 ER, 12 BB, 22 K, 84 pts

STOCK DOWN
HITTERS
1. 1B Justin Smoak SEA - O/S: 73/40 (-7/-10 f/LW), .229/.327/.418, 12 HR, 43 RBI, 20 2B, 158 pts
last 16 GP: .073/.150/.109, 4-55, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, 2 2B, 4 BB, 16 K, 0 pts
2. RF Jayson Werth WSH - O/S: 97/57, .215/.319/.362, 10 HR, 31 RBI, 40 R, 16 2B, 11/14 SB/O, 162 pts
last 16 GP: .123/.219/.140, 7-57, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 4 R, 1 2B, 6 BB, 21 K, 0 pts
3. RF Bobby Abreu LAA - O/S: 92/71, .277/.394/.363, 3 HR, 35 RBI, 34 R, 18 2B, 13/16 SB/O, 188 pts
last 16 GP: .191/.345/.426, 9-47, 6 R, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 1 2B, 11 BB, 14 K, 19 pts

PITCHERS
1. RP Francisco Cordero CIN - O/S: 87/73, 3-3, 17/22 SV/O, 2.95/1.08, 39.2 IP, 15 BB, 27 K, 201 pts
last 4 APP: 0-2, 3 BS, 3.1 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, -31 pts
2. SP Gavin Floyd CHW - O/S: 80/47 (-4/-5 f/LW), 6-9, 4.59/1.26, 111.2 IP, 111 H, 30 BB, 80 K, 120 pts
last 8 GS: 1-5, 44.1 IP, 54 H, 30 ER, 14 BB, 24 K, -8 pts
3. SP Kyle Lohse STL - O/S: 90/49 (-3/-14 f/LW), 8-6, 3.32/1.06, 122 IP, 107 H, 22 BB, 63 K, 215 pts
last 7 GS: 1-4, 41.2 IP, 48 H, 26 ER, 7 BB, 16 K, -1 pt

HOT PICK-UPS
HITTERS
1. 3B Emilio Bonifacio FLA - O/S: 36/30, .285/.356/.382, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 37 R, 16/20 SB/O, 145 pts
last 11 GP: .429/.510/.500, 18-42, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 12 R, 3 2B, 11/12 SB/O, 55 pts
2. OF Nate Schierholtz SFO - O/S: 8/6, .293/.343/.464, 7 HR, 31 RBI, 30 R, 5 SB, 148 pts
last 13 GP: .431/.482/.667, 22-51, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 9 R, 3 2B, 5 BB, 6 K, 53 pts
3. LF Travis Snider TOR - O/S: 42/27, .231/.302/.368, 2 HR, 20 RBI, 13 R, 5 SB, 59 pts
last 7 GP: 11-30, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R, 6 2B, 1 BB, 9 K, 24 pts

PITCHERS
1. SP Brian Duensing MIN - O/S: 36/25, 6-7, 4.13/1.42, 102.1 IP, 109 H, 36 BB, 70 K, 128 pts
last 5 GS: 3-1, 2.41/1.19, 4 QS, 33.2 IP, 28 H, 9 ER, 12 BB, 22 K, 84 pts
2. SP Paul Maholm PIT - O/S: 32/25, 6-9, 2.96/1.18, 121.2 IP, 101 H, 42 BB, 75 K, 206 pts
last 9 GS: 5-2, 2.25/1.05, 60 IP, 46 H, 15 ER, 17 BB, 31 K, 138 pts
3. SP Javier Vazquez FLA - O/S: 27/11, 5-8, 5.23/1.51, 96.1 IP, 111 H, 34 BB, 66 K, 53 pts
last 4 GS: 2-1, 0.72/1.03, 25.1 IP, 25 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 16 K, 75 pts

2011 NHL Free Agency: Predictions

First of all, welcome to July and one of the single biggest days on the NHL yearly calendar. And, of course, to our friendly neighbors to the north, Happy Canada Day.

On the most recent Sports With The StatMan show (#159) on Wednesday night, we went over the cap space and needs for the local teams:

LOCAL NEEDS
BOS: A puck-moving defenseman to possibly replace Tomas Kaberle
NJD: Defense, defense, defense (they still need defense even if Adam Larsson makes the team in '11-12)
NYI: A top-four defenseman and a top-six forward
NYR: A playmaking centerman and an offensive defenseman
PHL: Find a center to offset losses of Jeff Carter and Mike Richards

It is about 12:00 on July 1st -- high noon -- as the General Managers and free agents start getting down to business. Some teams have to reach the floor (see: Islanders) and others have money to spend (see: Flyers, Rangers). Add to that a dearth of big names and lots of money will be spent on relatively few players. Also, as we discussed on Wednesday's show, we talked about the very real possibility of an offer sheet being sent to a restricted free agent this year. There has only been one successful poaching since the lockout, Dustin Penner in 2007, but Steven Stamkos, Drew Doughty, Keith Yandle, and Andrew Ladd headline those RFAs.

On Wednesday's show, we discussed our unscientific ranking system. Yes, we could use fantasy points, and that will be the tiebreaker within tiers of free agents, but I arranged my rankings in tiers. Instead of calling these tiers by numbers, in the spirit of Hockey Christmas, we have assigned a present to each tier.

10 TIERS OF FREE AGENTS
Top-Tier: Caribbean cruise (or a trip to '70s game show fave Beautiful Puerto Vallarta)
2nd Tier: Video game (such as NHL '12, with RFA Steven Stamkos on the cover)
3rd Tier: A new bike (who wouldn't want a new bike...that is, if you are under the age of 16)
4th Tier: A great book (perhaps The Rebel League by Ed Willes, which is a fantastic book)
5th Tier: Christmas CD (useless gift for the 330 days between Christmas Day and the next Christmas season)
6th Tier: Ugly sweater (Cosby sweaters may apply)
7th Tier: A year-long enrollment in the Jelly of the Month Club (it is a gift that keeps on giving the whole year)
8th Tier: School supplies (a few minutes late and likely many dollars short)
9th Tier: An array of meat snacks from Hickory Farms (tasty for about 5 minutes, forgotten in about 10 minutes)
10th Tier: Socks and/or underwear (should be renamed the Jon Sim Tier)

So, through that prism, here are the local teams' needs:
BOS: A new bike (puck-moving defenseman)
NJD: A new bike and a great book (defensemen)
NYI: Two great books (a top-four defenseman and a top-six forward)
NYR: A Caribbean cruise and a video game (playmaking center and offensive defenseman)
PHL: A new bike (a top-two center)

FREE AGENT RANKINGS
Caribbean Cruise tier: G Tomas Vokoun, F Brad Richards
Video Game tier: D Tomas Kaberle
New Bike tier: F Ville Leino, F Erik Cole, F Tomas Fleischmann
Great Book tier: F Teemu Selanne, F Matt D'Agostini, F Michael Ryder, F Simon Gagne, F Scottie Upshall, F Joel Ward, F Sean Bergenheim, D Ed Jovanovski, D Andy Greene
Christmas CD tier: D Anton Babchuk, F Radim Vrbata, F Andrew Brunette, D Ian White, F Michal Handzus, F Vinnie Prospal, F Ruslan Fedotenko, F Raffi Torres, D Jan Hejda, F Jamie Langenbrunner, D Sean O'Donnell, D Scott Hannan
Ugly Sweater tier (not a complete list): G Jose Theodore, G Brian Boucher, D Bryan McCabe, F Tim Connolly, F Sergei Samsonov, F Cory Stillman, F Christopher Higgins, F Jason Arnott, D Radek Martinek, F Max Talbot
Jelly of the Month Club tier (not a complete list): F Brendan Morrison, D Roman Hamrlik, G Peter Budaj, G Marty Turco, F John Madden, F Alexander Frolov, D David Hale, F Ben Eager, F Cody McCormick, F Brad Winchester
School Supplies tier (not a complete list): G Johan Hedberg, F Marty Reasoner, G Mathieu Garon, F Alex Kovalev, F Kyle Wellwood, D Karlis Skrastins, D Steve Eminger, F Zenon Konopka
Meat Snacks tier (not a complete list): G Curtis McElhinney, G Martin Gerber, F Eric Godard, F Cam Janssen
Socks/Underwear tier: G Nathan Lawson, F Todd White, G Patrick Lalime, F Mike Comrie

FREE AGENT LOCAL PREDICTIONS
BOS: D Bryan McCabe
NJD: D Andy Greene*, D Anton Babchuk
NYI: F Joel Ward, D Radek Martinek*
NYR: F Brad Richards, D Tomas Kaberle
PHL: F Ville Leino*, F Eric Belanger
* - retained by their 2010-11 NHL club

Source for salary cap information: capgeek.com

2011 NHL Entry Draft: Predictions

Every year, there are a few top names that normally go according to form. This season will probably not be much different, though the order of those players from 1 through 4 may not be exact. In John Tavares's draft year, it was about the big three of Tavares, Victor Hedman, and Matt Duchene. Last year, the forward tandem of Taylor Hall and (Stanley Cup Champion) Tyler Seguin were all the rage. This year, there are three forwards and a defenseman that are around the top.

This is great news for the New Jersey Devils, who pick fourth, and less so for the New York Islanders, who select fifth, if they elect to make their selections. There is always the possibility of trading the pick to move up, down, or out of the first round. The Islanders could speed up their rebuild by trading down in some sort of package and, for the Devils, salary cap relief is mighty important to them if they want to be able afford to sign Zach Parise before arbitration or afford the award without breaking up the team.

In most publications and prognostications, with available time and money to watch these superteens play, have the top four pegged, in some order, as forwards Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Sean Couturier, Gabriel Landeskog, and defenseman Adam Larsson.

My picks for the first five selections:
1. Edmonton - C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
2. Colorado - D Adam Larsson
3. Florida - LW Gabriel Landeskog
4. DEVILS - D Dougie Hamilton
5. ISLANDERS - F Sean Couturier
8. FLYERS - F Ryan Strome
9. BRUINS - D Ryan Murphy
15. RANGERS - RW Tyler Biggs

Fantasy Weekend - MLB Week 9

Each week on our Fantasy Weekend show (Saturday mornings, 11am ET), we look back on the last seven days and reveal our picks for the best of the past week. Our regular installments of the Weekly Best, the Lines of the Week, our Stock Up/Stock Down segment, as well as Local Leaders for the four local teams we cover (Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, and Mets).

Listen to the podcast (Sports With The StatMan - No. 148) for all of this and more, including a look at injuries around baseball, and a look at the upcoming week with two-start pitchers and a look at next week’s schedule.

This post covers the past seven days leading up to the Saturday morning show from Saturday, May 28th and Friday, June 3rd.

WEEKLY BEST
HITTERS
#1. RF Nelson Cruz TEX – 39 points
#2. RF Justin Upton ARZ – 37 points
#3. 1B Mike Napoli TEX – 36 points

PITCHERS
#1. SP Jered Weaver LAA – 57 points
#2. RP Heath Bell SDG – 56 points
#3. SP Cole Hamels PHL – 50 points

LINES OF THE WEEK
HITTERS
#1. 1B Aubrey Huff SFO - 4-5, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 3 R (22 pts) (6/2 at STL)
#2. C Chris Iannetta COL - 4-5, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 R (18 pts) (5/28 vs STL)
#3. RF Justin Upton ARZ - 5-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 SB (17 pts) (5/30 vs FLA)

PITCHERS
#1. SP Clayton Kershaw LAD - 2-hit CG ShO W, 1 BB, 10 K (48 pts) (5/29 vs FLA)
#2. SP Ubaldo Jimenez COL - 4-hit CG ShO W, 0 BB, 7 K (44 pts) (5/30 at LAD)
#3. SP Bartolo Colon NYY - 4-hit CG ShO W, 0 BB, 6 K (43 pts) (5/30 at OAK)

STOCK UP
HITTERS
#1. RF Endy Chavez TEX – O/S: 0%/0%, .435/.469/.696, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 3 SB, 11 R, 46 AB (54 pts); last 11 GP: 20-37, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 2B, 1 3B, 11 R, 55 pts (6 5-pt games)
#2. CF Rajai Davis TOR – O/S: 56%/45%, .288/.323/.418, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 16/23 SB/O, 24 R, 153 AB (97 pts); last 22 GP: 32-87, HR, 12 RBI, 14 R, 8 2B, 3 3B, 9/14 SB/O, 71 pts (10 multi-hit games)
#3. OF Juan Pierre CHW – O/S: 68%/48%, .261/.329/.313, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 10/18 SB/O, 28 R, 230 AB (118 pts); last 8 GP: 9-34, HR, 5 RBI, 9 R, 1 3B, 5 BB, 3 K, 3 SB, 36 pts

PITCHERS
#1. SP Josh Collmenter ARZ – O/S: 26%/15%, 4-1, 1.25/0.67, 43.1 IP, 24 H, 5 BB, 26 K (136 pts); as a starter (5 GS): 3-1, 29.1 IP, 16 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 15 K, 94 pts
#2. SP Philip Humber CHW – O/S: 31%/14%, 4-3, 3.06/0.98, 67.2 IP, 52 H, 14 BB, 38 K (132 pts); last 7 GS: 49.1 IP, 33 H, 14 ER, 9 BB, 27 K, 118 pts
#3. SP Kevin Correia PIT – O/S: 51%/23%, 8-4, 3.40/1.20, 76.2 IP, 75 H, 17 BB, 34 K (135 pts); last 3 GS: 3-0, 20 IP, 17 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 10 K, 61 pts

STOCK DOWN
HITTERS
#1. 2B Dan Uggla ATL – O/S: 98%/78%, .172/.242/.312, 7 HR, 16 RBI, 215 AB (74 pts); last 13 GP: 3-43, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K, minus-1 pt
#2. 1B Adam Dunn CHW – O/S: 97%/70%, .182/.327/.324, 5 HR, 23 RBI, 72 K, 176 AB (59 pts); last 20 GP: 9-68, HR, 7 RBI, 4 R, 3 2B, 14 BB, 32 K, 7 pts (11 “minus” GP)
#3. RF Nick Markakis BAL – O/S: 96%/82%, .239/.305/.311, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 4 SB, 222 AB (106 pts); last 15 GP: 14-63, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R, 5 BB, 10 K, 1 SB, 19 pts (5 GP of 0 pts or fewer)

PITCHERS
#1. RP Joakim Soria KCY – O/S: 90%/71%, 3-3, 7 SV, 6.00/1.54, 24 IP, 19 K (64 pts); since 5/22 (6 APP): 0-3, 0/3 SV/O, 6.1 IP, 12 H, 7 K, minus-24 pts
#2. RP Carlos Marmol CHC – O/S: 95%/87%, 1-2, 10 SV, 3.33/1.32, 24.1 IP, 32 K (121 pts); since 5/19 (6 APP): 0-1, 1/2 SV/O, 5.1 IP, 9 H, 4 BB, 7 K, minus-4 pts
#3. SP Justin Masterson CLE – O/S: 94%/66%, 5-4, 3.28/1.31, 79.2 IP, 58 K (138 pts); since 5/12 (5 GS): 0-4, 32.2 IP, 35 H, 14 BB, 24 K, 9 pts

HOT PICK-UPS
HITTERS
#1. OF Corey Patterson TOR – O/S: 24%/20%, .285/.314/.446, 4 HR, 27 RBI, 7 SB, 193 AB (113 pts); last 6 GP: 11-29, 17 TB, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 28 pts
#2. OF Josh Willingham OAK – O/S: 33%/24%, .250/.327/.467, 10 HR, 37 RBI, 184 AB (110 pts); last 7 GP: 10-27, 23 TB, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 31 pts
#3. 1B Ty Wigginton COL – O/S: 22%/11%, .254/.308/.459, 5 HR, 16 RBI, 122 AB, 1B/3B/OF elig. (71 pts); last 5 GP: 6-17, 15 TB, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 17 pts

PITCHERS
#1. RP Aaron Crow KCY – New CL (Soria); O/S: 11%/6%; 2-0, 1.33/1.04, 27 IP, 26 K (93 pts); last 8 APP: 2 HD, 10.2 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 10 K, 32 pts
#2. SP Dillon Gee NYM – O/S: 20%/15%; 5-0, 3.83/1.15, 47 IP, 37 K (95 pts); last 3 GS: 3-0, 20.2 IP, 11 H, 7 ER, 5 BB, 15 K, 62 pts
#3. SP Jordan Lyles HOU – 1st ML start: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K (17 pts)

LOCAL LEADERS
HITTERS
#1. DH David Ortiz BOS – .474/.524/1.053, 9-19, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 2 2B (32 pts)
#2. SS Derek Jeter NYY – .318/.467/.409, 7-22, RBI, 2 2B, 6 BB, 0 K, 2 SB (27 pts)
#3. SS Jose Reyes NYM – .529/.556/.941, 9-17, RBI, 2B, 3 3B, 2 SB (25 pts) (Cano 25 pts, 8-25, 2 HR)

PITCHERS
#1. SP Cole Hamels PHL – 1-0, 2 QS, 1.80/0.73, 15 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 14 K (50 pts)
#2. SP Bartolo Colon NYY – 4-hit CG ShO W, 0 BB, 6 K (43 pts)
#3. SP Jonathon Niese BOS – 1-0, 2 QS, 1.29/1.29, 14 IP, 13 H, 5 BB, 13 K (42 pts)

Key – O/S: Owned/Starting in CBS Sports fantasy leagues; “minus” GP: a game in which a player scored negative fantasy points; statistics are season totals unless otherwise noted